Day 2 in which I wonder if I am there yet

Posted on by Lindsay
Journey: Knoxville, TN to Memphis, TN Number of times I gave the finger: 0. My soul was too crushed by the long drive to care. You want to cut me off? Okay. Go for it. Cups of coffee: On the outskirts of Nashville, I decided it was time for a cup of coffee. Found the nearest Starbucks, only to discover that I'd been there once before last year. What are the odds? Trucks filled with live pigs: 1 Number of times I thought the car might be on fire: 3 Number of times the car was, fortunately, not on fire: 3 Things I learned: If you scream "FUCK OFF" at your iPhone, Siri asks, "Did I do something wrong?" Personal growth moment: I wore the same socks for the third day in a row. Normally this would make me cringe in horror. But Road Trip Lindsay is adaptable! Goes with the flow! Ignores hygiene! The highlight of ...continue reading.

Lindsay Goes West

Posted on by Lindsay
I made a list of my favorite people last night. Who does that?! It’s weird. To review the people in your life and pick the ones you love the most. It feels ridiculous, like I'm in third grade trying to decide who should be invited to my birthday party. But the list just popped into my head because I knew without hesitation who I'd want to have at my birthday party sharing my cake. I knew because I've spent the last few weeks preparing to say goodbye to everybody around me and when I think about these people, my cake people, it physically hurts to let go, even though it's just for now. I'm getting in my car today - in a moment, actually - and driving to Arizona. By next Friday, I need to be in Phoenix. There I'll ride with my team, race Valley of the Sun, and settle down ...continue reading.

Thirty is the new awesome

Posted on by Lindsay
I turned 30 on Halloween. Sometimes I'm still astonished that I'm old enough to drive and buy alcohol and eat as much dessert as I want, but then I think about being 30 and realize that teenagers would consider me old. Teenagers are stupid. Get off my lawn. My birthday was so enjoyable and reminded me how fortunate I am to have such wonderful people in my life. I don't feel young or old or concerned about the number at all; I just feel pretty damn lucky to be where I am right now. [caption id="attachment_5564" align="alignnone" width="600"] The result of a night of pumpkin carving with Dad, Andrew, Mike, bottles of Scotch and wine, and several pints of Ben & Jerry's. Yo dawg, I heard you like pumpkins, so I carved a pumpkin into my pumpkin.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5555" align="alignnone" width="600"] These are my parents. The family resemblance is undeniable.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5568" align="alignnone" width="600"] When my mother presented ...continue reading.

Hasta Luego

Posted on by Lindsay
Late one night in October of 2012, Andrew and I stopped at a Mexican restaurant in Vienna for a drink. I'd read about the place a few weeks prior, but our visit was just a random answer to the question of what to do that evening. The bartender (who had been called "surly" in the review I'd read) was friendly and made good drinks, so we decided to come back again soon and have dinner. Our next visit was equally enjoyable. The food was great and the atmosphere was lively and welcoming. We became regulars, stopping in at least once a week, and gradually came to know the staff and other frequent visitors. Fernando, the bartender and manager, became a good friend. Andrew had a dish in the restaurant's computer named after him and I stopped having to ask for guacamole because it would appear shortly after my arrival, along with a glass of wine or ...continue reading.

In which I totally like communed with Mother Earth

Posted on by Lindsay
I camped and, despite my initial apprehension, it turned out to be a really good experience. Yes, it was freezing (literally) and I slept for a total of fourteen seconds. But I also discovered that there is something wonderful about the simplicity of being in the middle of nowhere but nature. Before going to bed (and with inspiration from a hefty dose of wine), I convinced Andrew to go on a midnight hike and lay down in the middle of a field to look at the stars. (I would also like to note that it was HE who fussed, "But I'll get my jacket dirty if I lay down!") The moon was so bright that everything was illuminated and the only sound was wind rustling the nearby trees. In that moment, I couldn't figure out why I'd want to go home again. Now I'm back here and grateful for the return of feeling in my extremities, but admittedly, ...continue reading.

Into The Wild

Posted on by Lindsay
I am going camping tonight. OUTSIDE. UGH. This is my friend's idea and because she is my oldest and dearest friend, I agreed. This is the same friend that laughed when I cried out of fear of roaches, though, so perhaps this is all a glorious set-up engineered to make me hugely and hysterically uncomfortable. I do not camp. Being outside is great. I love outside. But when I am ready to sleep or take off my pants, I like to go inside. Camping to me is like, "Hey! Let's grab the calendar and pick a few nights where we don't want to sleep!" The last time I camped was for the Shenandoah Mountain 100 race, and I had just managed to doze off when somebody let me know it was already time to wake up by yelling WELCOME TO THE THUNDERDOME, BITCHES though a megaphone. I love the sounds of nature. ...continue reading.